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Yahoo!While 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone’s $10,000 gift to candidate David Smyser was one of the most impressive of all contributions disclosed in the semi-annual statements turned in by candidates for 3rd District supervisor last week-Smyser was once Firestone’s chief of staff-the most curious contributions were also under Smyser’s name. More than half of the $54,894 Smyser brought in came from only six organizations. Four contributions were from San Francisco entities: Cathedral Hill Associates, L.P.; G&G Marco, Stevenson Street Associates, L.P.; and Western Mart Co., L.P. Only Cathedral Hill Associates has a Web site, which describes it as a “hotel company” with hotels in Seattle, Dallas, and La Mirada, California. A search of the Santa Barbara County Assessor’s database turned up no property owned by any of the San Francisco groups.
Despite the fact that the four, outside of Firestone, gave the largest contributions to his campaign, Smyser said he wasn’t familiar with them or any interests they might have in the county. The other two contributions came from New York real estate developer Alvin Dworman-who built and owns Bacara Resort in Goleta-and Bacara president B.J. Hoppe. Second District Planning Commissioner Doreen Farr raised $95,339 in contributions and loans for her campaign. Her largest donation came from Richard Whited of Quicksilver Trading Investment Company, who gave $16,600. Farr currently has $54,936 in the bank. Candidate Steve Pappas received a total of $21,000 from four entities in the six-month cycle, while Dr. David Bearman raised $23,464 in 2007.
Comments
Hello Chris,
Good job bring this to light. A few more clicks at Google would have explained it all. The four entities in San Francisco are simply Alvin Dworman in different clothes.
There is a $5,000 check from Cathedral Hill Associates at 1330 Gough Street. Then $5,000 each from Stevenson Street Associates, G&G Marco, and Western Mart. If you take a trip to San Francisco and go tho their respective addresses you will find Stevenson and G&G Marco do not really exist... they are addresses however - belonging to Western Mart, DBA The San Francisco Mart, owned by ...
Alvin Dworman. So is the Cathedral Hill Building.
From the San Francisco Business Times:
On Cathedral Hill, at 1330 Gough St. across from the cathedral Dworman helped create, he is proposing an elliptical white curtain-wall 38-story condo tower being designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill. In the burgeoning Mid-Market neighborhood, meanwhile, Dworman has embarked on repositioning his massive art deco San Francisco Mart, a landmark furniture wholesale showroom complex being reinvented as a mixed-use campus with 1 million square feet of office space and up to 250,000 square feet of retail.
At a time when private equity groups and pension funds buy and sell office and residential towers at the drop of a hat, ADCO Group is a throwback, a rare investor that holds onto its properties. Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who has known Dworman for more than 30 years, said patience is one of Dworman's defining characteristics.
...
"Alvin doesn't sell, he buys," said Brown. "Just think about 1330 Gough St. He has had that the entire time. Just think about how valuable that property has become without any great capital additions.
...
In a rare interview, the New York-based Dworman said it's coincidence that he happens to be making major changes simultaneously to two of his more prominent San Francisco properties, one which he has owned for 39 years and one for more than 40.
On Cathedral Hill, the development site at 1330 Gough was protected from development for 40 years under the expiring use agreement with Housing and Urban Development. At the San Francisco Mart, Dworman said he is reacting to a strengthening Mid-Market residential neighborhood and the fact that a new competing furniture wholesale design showroom -- 3 million square feet and publicly subsidized -- has been built in Las Vegas.
read the whole thing:
http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/s...
If Mr. Dworman wants to give Mr. Smyser $25,000 for his campaign - why go through all this trouble to hide it? Maybe he wants a $25,000 puppet?
SanMarcosPass (anonymous profile)
February 8, 2008 at 3:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good sleuthing there from San Marcos Pass!
Which is worse:
Smyser gets all that money bundled from a long-term land developer from San Francisco, OR that Smyser does not even know or apparently care who or what that donor is?
Why does this keep seeming like Smyser will be a second term for Firestone just like McCain will be a third term for Bush?!
FirstDistrictStreetfighter (anonymous profile)
February 9, 2008 at 6:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's review: WHAT do these entities do and WHY are they donating $$$ to Smyser's campaign? Follow the money and connect the dots.
Reminder: For decades I've heard developers in Santa Barbara say how it's for the good of the community. I don't know one person who is a long-time Santa Barbara resident who has ever said that life is better because of all the growth that has occurred there. I DO however, hear nothing but regrets. Wake up North County, before you get all problems they have in S.B.
billclausen (anonymous profile)
February 21, 2008 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)